Water and Ink is a 3D moving image artwork by Liao Yibai. Exploring three-dimensional spaces, Yibai delivers a narrative throughout the collection, speculating about the connection between human and machine, and physical and virtual reality.
"Ink painting is the beginning of my exposure to art, and the charm will never be indelible in my heart. Regardless of the East or the West, the collision of water and ink will have miracles and emotional reflections.
In the Song Dynasty, Fan Kuan put an end to the majestic fantasy of all landscape painters with a piece of 'Travelers among Mountains and Streams' (Bada Shanren).
It is the blending of ink wash that allows later minimalist artists to experience the ethereal spirit of ancient times. Who else can master ink wash?
Of course, too many people are still trying, no matter whether these struggles are meaningful or boring; after the colour is removed, between black and white, human aesthetics can always be the simplest and restored to the original origin.
The narrative structure of Hermann Hesse's 'Journey to the Orient' coincides with the attempt to be realistic with ink and wash. Under its symbolic meaning, it constantly seeks to solve the plight and emptiness of human beings, and the East becomes a mind. And the symbol of home, ink and wash also continued and evolved into a variety of artistic possibilities.
My current attempt is an attempt to digitize ink wash, this time not only to extract the colour but also to make the meaning paler and the plot emptier, the rest is just an encounter between water and ink in the virtual world."-Liao Yibai
Music Credit: Fathom by Kyle Preston
